Verizon Wireless is buying cellular capacity for 23 markets from NextWave Telecom Inc. for $3 billion, ending the government's tug of war over the never-used licenses and bolstering Verizon against a big new rival created by the merger of Cingular Wireless and AT&T Wireless.
The deal gives Verizon Wireless, a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone of Britain, big chunks of additional capacity to handle a growing subscriber base in key markets, including New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Washington.
